Do I have to pay?

dazco

I have a home phone with Telewest. Last month somebody in my household, unknown, rang Quiz TV many times.

Telewest rang me the next day to say my phone was blocked from dialling until I paid some money off. The quiz TV bit was £170.

I paid some off but then remembered that I pay £1.50 p.m for call barring of premium numbers. I rang them and asked how this could happen and they say I could have entered a secret code, which I have never asked for or been given.

The upshot is that they have offered me £1.50 refund ONLY for the month the call bar did not work. I feel this is ridiculous and I think that by asking, and paying, for a call bar the onus lies with Telewest to pay these outragous charges.
Am I right or wrong?

ka7e

Somebody else seems to be having a similar problem. See this earlier thread

grumbler

Dazco, I think you are in a better position than Kate in the 'other thread'.

Complain in writing. Start with e-mail. Insist that you have never asked and have never been given a 'security code'. If this does not help send a letter by recorded post. .

Code of Practice (Telewest):

Resolution of complaints: What to do if you are not satisfied with our service

If you are unhappy with our service please contact us and let us know. It is through your feedback that we are able to review and improve the overall service we provide.

If you have a complaint our formal internal complaints procedure is outlined below. We are fully committed to addressing all complaints, fully and fairly, and in a reasonable time...


Email using the on-line form found on our web-site: www.telewest.co.uk. Messages received are responded to by a dedicated team. To avoid any delay, please do not send correspondence to individual representatives’ email addresses. Your email will be acknowledged and dealt with promptly.

Writing to the National Customer Liaison Centre. The address is shown below and on your bill. Your letter will be acknowledged within 48 hours of receipt.
you can write to the National Customer Liaison Manager at

National Customer Liaison Centre

Evolution House

1 Chippingham Street

Attercliffe

Sheffield S9 3SE

Final review:

If the complaint remains unresolved to your satisfaction you can request that it is reviewed by a member of our review team.

Independent Adjudication

If we have not reached an agreed settlement within 3 months of receiving your complaint, you have the option of referring your complaint for independent consideration to CISAS (the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme) operated by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, of which Telewest is a member. CISAS will take evidence from both you and Telewest, and will make an independent decision based purely on the merits of the case.
Contact details for CISAS are as follows,
CISAS

The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Tel: General enquiries 020 7837 4483

12 Bloomsbury Square,

London, WC1A 2LP www.arbitrators.org/cisas

Alternatively you can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.